Selflessness

We live in a very individualistic society. Often, people will place their own needs over the needs of another person or group. This thought process thereby allows people to remain indifferent or apathetic regarding problems faced by others. From this lack of caring, people will put on a “sympathetic” smile and wish others well, but will almost never actually put in any real effort to help their friend in need. Which is why I am glad to say that I know an exception to this unfortunate reality, and luckily, she is one of my all-time best friends: Brooke Przybylinski.

I have known Brooke for as long as I can remember, which is why I can’t really remember where I actually met her. As it is with every member of Packanack Lake, almost every kid within the community did virtually the same things thereby allowing everybody to know everybody else (yes, we are kind of like a cult). However, despite her being in my life for as long as I can remember, as kids we never really interacted with each other.

Luckily, this all changed once I hit high school. While Brooke may be a grade ahead of me, I, fortunately, had a good friend within her friend group. At first, I was the awkward freshman, shocking right, who was tagging along with a bunch of sophomores; but then after a couple of group hangouts we became proud members of “Cool High Schoolers who do Cider Shots and not Alcohol Because Cleanliness” (yes, that was seriously the name of our group chat). Brooke, while sometimes really quiet, was always one of the kindest people at the gatherings; she genuinely cared about every member of the group and made sure that everyone was happy.

Fortunately, I got to know Brooke’s character than most in that friend group, because, like many of my close friends, Brooke did track. Brooke was always one of the most committed members of the team (somehow always putting on a smile during Schulman’s workouts). Which is why it was so devastating when she got hurt. Even though she now no longer could run, Brooke always came to practice because she knew how much it meant to people to be cheered on. Not only did she sacrifice time in which could have been focused on work so that she could get to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour, but she also almost always showed up with baked goods, providing immeasurable happiness to people, me, who literally felt like they were dead after their 400s workout.

Now while there is an inevitability that some friendships will die post-graduation, I am undoubtedly glad that I remained in contact with Brooke. When coming up to visit Penn State for accepted students’ day, I reached out to Brooke so that I could say a quick hello while I was here. Instead, she told me to join her and her friends to come to a club track party, and after meeting everyone there, I knew that this was where I wanted to go to school.

I know that sometimes Brooke feels as if people are only friends with her because she makes people brownies or cheers them on. That is wrong simply on a factual level. Brooke has these friends not because she bakes them food or makes them home-made gifts (which she always does), her friends stand by her because what these actions represent and thereby a testament to what she represents: pure-human goodness. Brooke is someone who will always place others before herself, even when it makes her uncomfortable and still have a smile on her face. And there will never not be a moment where I wish that more people acted like her.